Banana Ice Cream with Only ONE Ingredient {recipe}

I’ve seen the recipe so many times on tons of blog, I could recite the whole recipe from memory.

Oh wait. I guess it’s not all that hard to remember a recipe with one ingredient…

This is ice cream made from one ingredient: bananas. No sugar. No milk. And with no cream, I guess it’s not really “ice cream,” but it magically has the creaminess and texture of ice cream. I can’t believe I just said “magically,” but really? When I made it, it was sort of magical.
I was always impressed by the posts about this Banana Ice Cream, but never thought to actually make it, mostly because the recipe require NO ice cream maker. Why would I need that kind of recipe when I have a pretty, shiny ice cream maker (that still needs to be used at least once this summer!)

Even if you don’t love bananas, even if you don’t eat ice cream, even if for nothing else, make this One Ingredient Banana Ice Cream just for the sheer possibility of something so simple.

One Ingredient Banana Ice Cream {recipe}

Yes, we feel a little silly for posting a “recipe” for something that has one ingredient, but whatevs, there are still some “instructions,” like having to freeze the bananas overnight, so there it is.

We used bananas that were exactly yellow — no “green” and no brown spots from ripeness. We also mixed the finished ice cream with various things to make different flavors…we’ll share those in a future post, but obviously don’t wait for that. Just experiment yourself with peanut butter, chocolate, toasted nuts, semi frozen other fruits like berries, etc.

Ingredients

Bananas

Directions

Peel bananas, cut into 1-inch slices, and place on a lined sheet. Place in freezer for at least 6 hours, best overnight.

Place frozen banana pieces in food processor. Pulse, then process until the bananas are the consistency of ice cream. It might take a while, and you will have to scrape the sides and push down the bananas every once in a while. Stay with it. There will come a moment when it all just “happens.”

Eat immediately, or place back in freezer to harden slightly. It will never get super hard, and you probably can’t keep it for too long.

Now I’m a little disappointed in myself for making banana bread today instead of making banana ice cream two days ago. Well, like the song says, the next bananas for making banana ice cream are always just around the bend

Sensational. It’s absolutely delicious and so quick and easy to make!
I’ve made it twice in the past week . . . the second time I made it, I experimented by adding toasted coconut and a tablespoon of Hazelnut Spread.

Here’s a tip. When bananas go on sale buy a ton. Peel, slice, spread out on a cookie sheet covered with plastic wrap and freeze for 24 hours. Take the sheet out of the freeze and put all the frozen slices in a ziplock bag (or vacuum seal). They will last for quite some time!!

Let regular yellow grocery store bananas (‘Cavendish’) get completely ripe, peel all but 1, place all but the un-peeled one in large heavy Ziplocks. Freeze solid at least overnite. Next day, put the un-frozen banana you saved out on the counter, into blender, and turn it into mush. Break a couple of the pre-frozen bananas into 1″ pieces, and drop them one by one into the running blender, to mix with the un-frozen mushed banana. You’re basically making a frozen smoothie. Keep adding pieces of frozen banana till it’s as thick as you want, or as thick as your blender can handle. Eat immediately like soft ice cream, or if you want it more solid, for scooping, stick the whole thing in the freezer for at least an hour. Variations: Add a bit of milk, cream, yogurt, canned coconut milk, along with or in place of un-frozen banana. Also, mangoes, strawberries, blueberries, and peaches are good to add to the bananas, either frozen or fresh. How well it chops, how much non-frozen material you need to keep it blending, and how much you can make at once all depends on the blender, and your preference. Experiment. Garnish each serving with a sprig of mint, some flaked coconut, and/or a slice of lime. This is an elegant no-added sugar dessert that looks fantastic served in little crystal bowls. Can stick the bowls in the freezer ahead of time & chill so they hold the dessert more solid as guests eat.